After several months of speculation in the trade, founder and chairman Ralph Ward-Jackson has announced that Art London will not take place this year.
Since its launch in 1999, this Modern and Contemporary art fair has been held in a marquee on the South Grounds at the Royal Hospital Chelsea, the same site as the Chelsea Flower Show, Masterpiece and Decorex.
A statement issued last week by the organisers' PR firm cited "longstanding issues with the local council's planning restrictions, going back as far as 2003" as a major factor in the decision.
The statement added: "These have been exacerbated by the venue's decision not to renew the fair's tenancy agreement after 2012. Once this became common knowledge, and without a confirmed alternative location, Art London's commercial position became hard to maintain."
Site by Artimin